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Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders guard Sam Cosmi (76) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Sam Cosmi Was the Commanders’ Secret Superstar in 2025

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By David Harrison | Last updated Jan 25, 2026 7:00 PM ET

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders didn’t have a lot to celebrate in 2025, but the successful rehabilitation and return of offensive lineman Sam Cosmi was one of the few.

Even with his season ending on injured reserve, Cosmi is expected to be able to conduct a full and healthy offseason program, giving the Commanders hope that he’ll return fully to form once again in 2026 and be ready to help the team reverse course on the season that was.

According to Pro Football Focus’s Zach Tantillo, Cosmi was not only solid in his return for Washington, but was the team’s secret superstar in the 2025 NFL season.

“Coming off a torn ACL late last season, Cosmi returned to form as one of Washington’s most consistent players in 2025. He finished as the team’s third-highest-graded offensive player (76.4), posting 72.0-plus grades in both pass blocking and run blocking. Cosmi allowed just 11 pressures and two sacks on the season and closed the year with six consecutive games without allowing a pressure,” Tantillo wrote.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

How Cosmi overcame the injury rust

As expected, coming off such a devastating injury, it took Cosmi a few games to get rolling once he stepped back onto the field in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Yet, after allowing seven pressures and two sacks in his first two games back, Cosmi gave up a combined four pressures and no sacks the rest of the way.

Stabilizing Josh Conerly Jr.’s rookie season

Cosmi’s steadying presence also helped rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., who was credited with 28 pressures by PFF heading into Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks. While the overall outcome was nowhere near what the team wanted, Cosmi had his first really strong outing in that contest, and Conerly benefited, surrendering just two pressures and allowing zero sacks.

In the near six full games the two played next to each other, once the veteran guard hit his stride, Conerly allowed just 11 of his 43 total pressures, including four in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, in which Cosmi was injured once again.

Cosmi’s 11 pressures allowed in 2025 were the fewest surrendered by a guard with at least 300 pass blocking reps this season, and he finished ranked 13th out of 68 eligible guards in pass blocking efficiency.

Why the 2026 version will be even better

I asked the lineman, early in his return to play, about the sentiment shared by other players who have suffered similar injuries and rehab processes, who said that year two is when they finally start to feel like themselves again. Cosmi, at the time, agreed that while being on the field was great in and of itself, he certainly didn’t feel like himself yet, and could see year two being the one that really gets him all the way back.

If year one after the injury is any indication, Washington will be getting an even better version of Cosmi back in 2026. That fact alone will go a long way toward helping the Commanders get back to winning more games and should also aid Conerly in having a solid second season in the NFL.